t^'cU.~977 


^    UNDER..  THIeE  FLAGS        ,\J 


E^MlOTl^ 


PubbyWickmaiis Photo e Gif tStopM^^na^  Isle..]y\ich. 
G>£>TigKi'  1923,  1928. 


Points  of  Interest  on  Mackinac  Island 


Alexander  Henry  Triil 

Arch  Rock 

Afch  Rock  Trail 

Astor  House 

Baby  Manilou 

Bancroft  Rest 

Battle  Field 

Beaumont  Monument 

Big  Molar   (Linden  Tree) 

British  Landing 

British  Landing  Road 

Cannon  Ball    (at  British  Landing) 

Cass  Cliff 

Charlevoix  Heights 

Courcurs  de  Bois  Shelter 

Crack  in  the  Island 

Ciookcd  Tree  Drive 

Cupids  Pathway 


Devils  Kitchtn 

Dwightwood  Spring 

Early  Farm 

Fairy  Arch 

Fort  Holmes 

Fort  Mackinac 

Friendship's  Altar 

Giant's  Stairway 

Gitchie  Manitou 

Golf  Links    iWawashkamo  Club) 

Hiawatha  Spring 

Indian   Village 

Juniper  Trail 

Lake  Shore  Boulevard 

LaSalle  Spring 

Leslie  Avenue 

Life  Saving  Station 

Lover's  Leap 

Marquette  Park  and  Statue 


Medicine  Man's  Trail 

Mission  Church 

Mission  House 

Nicolet  Watch  Tower 

Officer's  Quarters 

Ottawa  Trail 

Perry  Cannon 

Point  Lookout 

Pontiac's  Lookout 

Robinson's  Folly 

Scott's  Cave 

South  Sally  Pore 

Sugar  Loaf  Rock 

Sunset  Forest 

Trail  of  the  Lonesome  Pine 

West  Block  House 

Wishing  Spring 

Woolson  Rampart 


For  description  and  location  of  Points  of  Interest  see  part  Two 


!!:iOiS  H'fTOfi'CA"   S'S^V'Ty 


Mackinac  Under  Three 
Flags 


IN  FOUR  PARTS 


OUTLINE  MAP  OF  MACKINAC  ISLAND 


Tart  One— Historical  Michilimackinac  -     2 


Tcirt  'S'ti'o  —  The  Island's  Principal  Points 
of  Interest 18 


Tart  '^hrec — The  Ideal  Summer  Resort    26 


Tan  '^?our  — M  a  c  k  i  n  a  c   as  Viewed  by 
the  Cameraman      ------     32 


Historical  Michilimackinac 


From  writers  of  early  Ameruan  history  wo 
learn  that  the  name  Michilimackinac  not  only 
stood  for  the  present-day  Mackinac  Island,  but 
for  all  the  country  round  about  us.  It  appears 
that  the  French  were  the  first  white  men  to  explore 
this  country,  which  was  in  the  early  part  of  the 
17th  century,  and  we  have  the  year  of  16  34,  as 
the  time  when  Jean  Nicolet  passed  through  the 
Straits,  convoyed  to  Green  Bay. 

In  1627,  Louis,  the  thirteenth  King  of 
France,  chartered  the  One  Hundred  Associates 
Company,  granting  them  forever,  Quebec,  the 
fort,  all  New  France.  ( which  included  Michili- 
mackinac. »  and  Florida.  Champlain  was  one  of 
that  company.  The  King  gave  the  company  two 
ships  and  invested  them  with  almost  sovereign 
power.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  to  be 
established  and  no  other. 

During  the  year  1629  the  British  captured 
Quebec  and  all  New  France.  But  the  whole  coun- 
try was  returned  by  treaty  in  163  2.  and  in  1633 
Champlain  was  again  in  command  of  the  fort  and 
town  of  Quebec  and  New  France,  which  he  had 
previously  been  obliged  to  surrender  to  the  British. 


As  soon  as  the  French  were  known  to  be  in  com- 
mand once  more  one  hundred  and  fifty  Huron 
canoes  arrived  at  Fort  St.  Croix  to  trade  with  their 
friends.  With  them  came  Jean  Nicolet.  the  inter- 
preter, who  was  directed  by  Champlain  to  go 
with  the  returning  convoys  to  Green  Bay.  Wis- 
consin ( this  being  as  far  south  as  the  New  France 
grant  extended)  to  make  a  treaty  with  them.  In 
compliance  with  these  instructions  Jean  Nicolet. 
who  had  returned  with  the  Hurons.  journeyed  by 
the  Ottawa  route.  Lake  Nippissing  and  Georgian 
Bay.  towards  the  land  of  the  Winncbagoes.  He 
was  convoyed  by  seven  friendly  Indians  in  birch 
bark  canoes.  Passing  the  mouth  of  the  French 
river  westward,  he  made  the  "Nations  of  Beavers." 
they  being  descendants  from  the  "Great  Beaver." 
their  principal  divinity:  their  original  home  were 
the  Beaver  Islands  in  Lake  Michigan,  and  after- 
wards the  Manitoulin  Islands  in  Lake  Huron. 
The  French  named  them  Nez  Perces.  owing  to 
their  habit  of  wearing  ornaments  and  feathers 
thrust  through  their  noses.  The  Beaver  tribe 
were  on  the  mainland  when  sieur  Nicolet  found 
them.  The  canoes  pressed  onward  and  entered 
the  St.   Mary's  river  of  DeTour  and  paddled  up 


the  stream  to  the  falls.  The  Indians  found  at  the 
Sauk  there  were  also  Algonquins  and  Ojibwas  or 
Chippevvas.  After  a  short  stay  at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  he  returned  down  the  river  in  his  canoes 
propelled  by  the  paddles  of  his  seven  Hurons. 
On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river  they  made  the 
turn  ( De  Tour)  and  going  along  the  shore  of  the 
northern  peninsula  they  passed  Lcs  Cheneaux 
(the  channels.)  St.  Martins  Islands,  St.  Ignace 
and  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac,  Gros  Cap  and 
Seul  Choix  in  succession,  until  they  turned  from 
Lake  Michigan  into  Bay  de  Noquet.  Here  he  vis- 
ited a  tribe  called  Roqui  and  Noquets,  or  bear 
family,  Algonquins  classed  with  Chippewas. 
Farther  up  the  river  he  came  to  the  Menominees 
on  a  river  of  the  same  name.  They  were  Algon- 
quins of  a  lighter  color,  and  their  language  was 
not  easy  to  understand.  After  a  short  stay  he  re- 
sumed his  voyage  to  the  Winnebagos,  to  whom 
he  had  sent  one  of  the  Hurons  in  advance.  The 
Indian  was  well  received,  foretold  of  his  coming 
and  his  message  of  peace.  The  Winnebagoes  sent 
several  of  their  young  men  to  meet  him.  Arriving 
he  advanced,  clothed  in  a  robe  of  "Chinese  damask 
sprinkled  with  flowers  of  different  colors,"  and  a 
pistol  in  each  hand,  both  of  which  he  discharged 
in  the  air  to  the  right  and  left.     The  women  and 


children  fled  in  dismay,  for  he  was  a  "Manitou," 
who  carried  thunder  in  his  hands.  The  Winne- 
bagoes were  found  to  be  numerous.  Their  lang- 
uage was  different  from  any  Algonquins  or  Hur- 
ons, they  were  of  Dakota  stock.  At  that  time  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  had  not  arrived,  they  came  at  a 
later  period. 

Hearing  of  his  coming,  four  or  five  thousand 
natives  of  the  different  tribes  assembled  to  meet 
him  in  council.  Nicolet  made  an  alliance  with 
them  and  urged  them  to  keep  the  peace  with  each 
other  and  the  tribes  eastward  of  Lake  Huron  and 
with  the  Hurons  and  Nez  Perces. 

After  the  treaty  he  visited  the  Mascoutins. 
six  days'  journey  up  the  Fox  river.  From  this 
tribe  Nicolet  got  confused  stories  of  the  Mississip- 
pi. They  were  so  mixed  with  the  Wisconsin  that 
he  could  not  get  a  definite  idea  of  what  he  and 
others  supposed  was  the  "sea,"  distant  only  three 
days'  journey.  From  here  he  went  southward 
and  visited  the  Illinois  tribe  on  the  prairies  and  re- 
turned to  the  Winnebagoes.  On  his  return  trip 
he  tarried  with  the  Pottawatomics,  who  lived  on 
the  island  at  the  mouth  of  Green  Bay. 

In  the  spring  of  1635  after  the  ice  had 
broken  up,  the  course  was  by  way  of  the  Straits 
of   Michilimackinac   and    the   island   of   the   same 


name  ro  the  south  shore  of  the  Great  Manitoulin 
Island,  where  a  band  of  Ottawas  hved.  The  same 
seven  Hurons  were  with  him  as  his  convoy.  From 
that  island  they  crossed  Georgian  Bay  to  the  Huron 
villages.  That  season  he  accompanied  the  In- 
dians on  their  annual  trading  trip  to  this  post  on 
the  St.  Lawrence  River.  They  probably  reached 
Three  Rivers  about  the  middle  of  July,  in  163^. 
Champlain  died  in  the  fort  at  Quebec.  December 
25.  1635.  Father  Isaac  Joques  and  Raymbault 
planted  the  cross  at  Sault  Stc.  Marie.  Michigan  in 
1643.  Jean  Nicolet  was  drowned  by  the  upsetting 
of  a  boat  on  the  river,  above  Quebec,  near  the 
last  of  October,   1642. 

On  July  14,  1648.  the  mission  at  St.  Mary's 
on  the  river  Richelieu  was  surprised  by  the  Iro- 
quois, early  in  the  morning  when  the  braves  were 
absent  on  war  or  hunting  parties  and  all  the  wom- 
en and  children,  old  men  and  the  attending  priest 
were  massacred.  The  Hurons  were  terrified  and 
village  after  village  was  abandoned. 

At  daybreak,  on  March  16.  1649,  one  thou- 
sand Iroquois  assaulted  the  town  of  St.  Ignatius 
on  the  Richelieu,  and  all  were  butchered  and  scalped 
except  three  who  escaped  to  St.  Louis,  near  by. 
The  Hurons  fled  in  all  directions  and  fifteen  towns 
were  abandoned.       December  7,   1649.  the  village 


of  Etharita.  near  the  head  of  Georgian  Bav.  of  the 
Tinnontatc  Hurons  (who  cultivated  tobacco.) 
was  attacked  and  the  men.  women  and  children 
and  Father  Garner,  tomahawked  and  massacred. 
After  this  general  Algonquin  defeat,  the  Hurons 
and  Ottawas  settled  for  some  years  on  Michili- 
mackinac  Island,  and  again,  fled  to  the  islands  at 
the  entrance  of  Green  Bay,  thence  to  the  shores. 

At  that  time  the  Huron  mission  was  de- 
stroyed, thirty  villages  abandoned  and  the  fright- 
ened Hurons  fled  across  the  waters  to  the  islands 
and  mainland  of  Lakes  Huron.  Superior  and 
Michigan.  In  the  massacre  of  March  16.  1649, 
Father  John  de  Brebeuf  and  on  March  17.  Father 
Lallemant.  were  cruelly  tortured  to  death.  Father 
Allouez  afterward  found  some  of  the  Hurons  at 
Chegaouamigong  Bay  and  the  Apostle  Islands. 
Lake  Superior,  in  1665. 

In  1654  two  French  traders.  Pierre  Espcrit 
Radisson  and  Mcdard  Chouart  des  Groccllicrs. 
passed  by  way  of  Michilimackinac  Island  and 
Point  Iroquois  (St.  Ignace.  I  through  the  Straits 
to  Green  Bay.  They  returned  in  1656  with  sixty 
canoes,  loaded  with  furs,  and  a  large  party  of 
Hurons  and  Ottawas.  bound  for  the  market  at 
Three  Rivers  on  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Nicolas  Perot   was  the  next  known  and  re- 


corded  adventurer  who  made  a  canoe  trip  through 
the  Straits  of  MichiHmackinac  to  Green  Bay. 
From  15  34  (up  to  this  date)  when  Carter  ex- 
plored the  St.  Lawrence  and  planted  a  colony  far 
up  in  the  interior  of  New  France  that  subsequently 
carried  the  fur  trade  to  the  banks  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan, there  were  Frenchmen  in  the  province.  Many 
of  these  were  illiterate,  and,  of  course  left  no  rec- 
ord. They  were  simply  trappers  and  voyageurs. 
They  mingled  with  the  Indians,  intermarried,  and 
adapted  themselves  to  the  native  code  of  life. 
The  Indians  built  forts  surrounded  by  palisades 
of  cedar,  implanted  in  the  ground,  from  twelve 
to  twenty-five  feet  high,  for  protection  against  as- 
saults of  other  tribes.  The  French  did  the  same, 
and  taught  the  savages  how  to  improve  and  better 
protect  them.  The  voyageurs  were  the  pioneers, 
the  advance  pickets  of  the  coming  hosts  of  Euro- 
pean usurpers. 

The  French  continued  to  advance,  as  well  as 
the  English,  Spanish.  Dutch  and  Portugese  into 
other  parts  of  the  continent,  until,  in  1668,  they 
were  found  in  the  region  of  MichiHmackinac  con- 
trolling large  and  valuable  missions  under  the 
Jesuits.  With  them  the  arts  of  more  civilized 
people  prevailed  to  some  extent,  and  the  natives 
were  brought  to  worship  the  God  of  the  white 


man.  About  this  time,  1668,  New  France  was 
divided  into  the  following  provinces: 

Hudson  Bay.  All  territory  north  of  lati- 
tude 49°  and  west  indefinitely. 

Quebec.  With  Canada  east,  southward  to 
the  head  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  westward  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Ohio. 

MiCHlLIMACKlNAC.  The  country  west- 
ward of  Quebec,  southward  to  and  along  the  Ohio 
to  the  western  boundary  of  what  is  now  Minne- 
sota, north  to  49°  and  all  the  country  drained 
into  Lakes  Superior  and  Huron. 

British  America  was  then  a  strip  of  land 
between  the  Appalachian  mountains  and  the 
Atlantic  ocean. 

The  Province  of  Detroit  was  set  off  from 
MichiHmackinac  in  1700;  it  included  all  of  Can- 
ada west  above  the  Cataract  of  Niagara  and  north 
to  Lake  Huron,  that  part  of  Michigan  south  of 
Saginaw  Bay,  and  most  of  Ohio  and  Indiana. 
Detroit  was  settled  in  1701  and  in  a  few  years  be- 
came more  important  than  MichiHmackinac. 

Before  and  after  these  last  dates  the  capitol 
and  metropolis  of  the  Province  of  MichiHmacki- 
nac was  on  the  island  of  the  same  name,  in  the 
Straits  of  MichiHmackinac.      It  was  not  only  the 


seat  of  justice  and  base  of  supplies,  but  the  center 
of  trade  of  a  vast  territory.  It  was  the  headquar- 
ters of  French  traders  and  trappers,  their  white 
and  Indian  employees.  The  little  island  was  well 
known  and  gave  its  name  to  the  extensive  Province 
of  Michilimackinac. 

The  name  of  the  Province  of  Michilimacki- 
nac is  the  one  given  by  the  savages  as  rendered  by 
the  French  to  the  island  in  the  Straits  now  called 
Mackinac.  Michili-Mackinac,  terminal  c  silent,  a 
broad,  pronounced  in  English — Mackinaw.  There 
is  now  in  the  French  alphabet.  In  Mackinack 
the  terminal  c  and  k  are  both  silent,  and  the  k  is 
superfluous.  It  is  the  French  rendering  from  the 
Chippewa  and  Ottawa  dialect  of  Algonquin.  The 
early  French  who  got  the  name  from  the  Indians 
spelled  it  in  various  ways,  and  so  did  the  English, 
but  always  so  as  to  get  the  present  pronunciation. 
Mackinaw,  Macquina.  Macina,  Macinac.  The 
French  being  the  first  dominants,  their  spelling 
prevails,  but  the  pronunciation  is  the  same  in 
French  and  English — Mackinac,  final  c  silent. 

Michilimackinac  Island  was  occupied  and 
abandoned,  for  reasons  of  safety,  by  different 
bands  of  Indians  from  time  to  time,  long  before 
this  period.  It  had  often  been  passed  and  visited 
by  French  traders  and  was  well  known.      It  was 


there  the  mission  of  St.  Ignace  was  founded  before 
it  was  established  at  point  St.  Ignace. 

Father  Jaques  Marquette  founded  the  first 
mission  on  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  at  Michili- 
mackinac (St.  Ignace)  in  1671.  He  came  to 
Mackinac  Island  in  the  spring  of  that  year  from 
the  mission  at  La  Pointe  on  Lake  Superior,  where 
he  had  succeeded  Father  Alloucz  in  1665.  The 
mission  there  was  broken  up  when  the  Hurons 
and  Ottawas  abandoned  the  place  in  face  of  a 
threatening  invasion  of  the  Sioux.  The  Hurons 
went  to  Mackinac  Island,  and  Marquette  followed 
them,  afterwards  finding  that  Father  Dablon  had 
been  there  during  the  preceeding  winter.  But 
NLirquette  soon  changed  to  Point  St.  Ignace.  The 
Mission  of  St.  Ignatius  was  established  on  the 
Point  for  the  Hurons  and  Ottawas.  Father  Mar- 
quette doubtless  many  times  visited  Mackinac 
Island  during  his  stay  on  the  Straits  of  .Mackinac. 
In  1672  he  wrote  a  long  account  of  his  work  in 
that  neighborhood. 

On  May  17,  167'i.  he  and  Louis  Joliet. 
whom  he  had  met  in  1671.  at  the  great  ceremony 
of  St.  Lusson's  at  the  Sault.  left  Nlichilimackinac 
on  their  great  voyage  of  discovcrv.  reaching  the 
"Father  of  Waters"  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin 
River  on  the  Seventeenth  i.\.\v  oi  June.    Thev  later 


paddled  their  birch-bark  canoes  as  far  south  as  a 
point  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river.  Satis- 
fied that  the  Mississippi  emptied  not  into  the 
South  Sea.  but  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Joliet  re- 
turned to  Quebec,  but  Marquette  made  another 
voyage  down  the  Mississippi  in  the  following 
year.  Of  both  these  voyages  Marquette  gives  an 
account  in  his  journals. 

On  the  second  voyage,  worn  out  with  fatigue 
of  his  labors,  he  was  stricken  by  the  hand  of  death 
May  18.  1675.  at  the  age  of  38.  He  was  buried 
on  the  banks  of  a  stream,  thought  by  some  to 
have  been  the  St.  Joseph's  River,  and  by  others 
the  Sable  River  near  the  present  city  of  Luciington. 
In  1677.  the  Kiskakon  Indians,  whom  he  had 
instructed  at  La  Point,  bore  his  remains  to  the 
Mission  chapel  on  the  Straits,  where  they  were 
buried  by  Fathers  Pierson  and  Nouvel.  The 
convoy  consisted  of  thirty  canoes.  As  they  ap- 
proached the  church  the  priest  chanted  the  De  Pro- 
fundis  in  presence  of  all  the  people,  and  the  body 
remained  in  state  at  the  little  church  all  that  day 
Whit  Monday.  June  8,  1677.  The  next  day  it 
was  buried  with  honors  under  the  church.  Father 
Marquette  was  called  "The  Guardian  Angel  of 
the  Ottawa  Mission.  "  His  remains  were  dis- 
covered by  Very  Rev.  Edward  Jacker.   V.  G.,  in 


1877.  who  was  then  pastor  at  St.  Ignacc.  About 
a  fourth  ot  these  relics  are  still  preserved  in  the 
Church  at  St.  Ignace;  the  remainder  in  Marquette 
College  at  Milwaukee. 

On  September  1,  1909,  the  Marquette  Statue 
in  Marquette  Park  on  the  Island  was  dedicated  to 
his  memory  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  including 
among  other  features,  an  address  by  Justice 
William  R.  Day  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  Marquette  was  born  in  the  little 
hill  town  of  Laon.  in  the  Department  of  Aisne, 
France,  June  1,  1637. 

The  fame  of  the  discoveries  of  Marquette 
and  Joliet  fired  the  mind  of  LaSalle,  in  command 
at  Fort  Frontcnac  (Kingston.)  He  obtained  a 
concession  from  Count  Frontenac.  another  from 
the  French  King,  which  allowed  him.  in  the  terri- 
tory which  he  discovered,  the  exclusive  trade  of 
buffalo  and  all  other  articles  excepting  the  fur 
trade  of  the  Lakes.  Sailing  from  Fort  Frontenac 
in  the  Griffon,  a  sailing  vessel  of  sixty  tons,  built 
by  his  orders  a  little  above  Niagara  Falls,  late  in 
November,  1674,  and  after  many  wild  storms 
turning  the  foot  of  Bois  Blanc,  he  beheld  the  high- 
land ahead,  the  rock-girt  fairy  isle  of  Michili- 
mackinac.  M.  LaSallc  and  his  men  were  received 
with  great  civilities  by  the  chiefs  of  the  Ottawas 


on  landing  at  Michilinuckinac. 

In  1681  he  again  visited  the  Straits  of  Mack- 
inac, on  his  second  voyage  to  the  Mississippi.  He 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  "Father  of  Waters"  the 
following  year  on  the  ninth  of  April,  naming  the 
country  Louisiana  for  the  King.  Louis  XIV  of 
France.  In  1688.  survivors  of  his  fata!  expedi- 
tion from  France,  in  which  he  aimed  to  reach  the 
mouth  of  the  great  river  direct  by  water,  arrived 
at  Michilimackinac  with  a  tale  of  disaster. 

LaSalle  was  a  man  of  indomitable  will,  who 
made  warm  friends,  such  as  the  devoted  Tonti, 
and  bitter  enemies,  whose  machinations  finally 
compassed  his  ruin.  He  came  of  a  wealthy  fam- 
ily and  was  well  educated.  His  discoveries  on  the 
Mississippi  opened  to  him  visions  of  vice-regal 
control  of  a  new  empire,  in  the  lure  of  which  he 
met  death  at  the  hands  of  some  of  his  followers, 
somewhere,  in  the  present  State  of  Texas,  March 
19.  1687.  while  trying  to  reach  the  Mississippi 
over  land.  He  was  born  at  Rouen.  France  in 
1643. 

In  1688  Baron  I.aHontan.  an  officer  of  rare 
accomplishments,  because  of  his  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  language  and  his  skill  in  forest  diplomacy, 
was  sent  as  a  commander  of  troops  to  the  Great 


Lakes  region,  in  company  with  Du  Lhut.  and 
built  Fort  St.  Joseph  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron, 
near  the  present  site  of  Port  Huron.  Here  La 
Durantaye  commandant  at  Michilimackinac 
sweeping  down  in  1687  with  birch-bark  canoe 
loads  of  Mackinac  Indians,  took  possession  of  the 
whole  country  for  France.  It  was  from  this  post 
that  La  Hontan  went  to  Mackinac  in  1688  "to 
buy  up  corn  for  the  Hurons  and  Ottawas."  as  he 
writes.  His  New  X^oyage  was  published  in  French 
at  the  Hague  in  1703. 

In  1695.  M.  de  Cadillac,  who  founded 
Detroit,  commanded  at  this  post.  He  thus  de- 
scribes the  place:  "It  is  very  important  that  you 
should  know,  in  case  you  are  not  already  in- 
formed, that  this  village  is  one  of  the  largest  in  all 
Canada.  There  is  a  fine  fort  of  pickets,  and  sixty 
houses  that  form  a  street  in  a  straight  line.  There 
is  a  garrison  of  well-disciplined,  chosen  soldiers, 
consisting  of  about  two-hundred  men.  the  best 
formed  and  most  athletic  to  be  found  in  this  New 
World:  besides  many  other  persons  who  are  resi- 
dents here  during  two  or  three  months  of  the  year. 

*  *  *Thc  houses  are  arranged  along  the  snore  of  this 
great  Lake  Huron,  and  fish  and  smoked  meat  con- 
stitute the  principal  food  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
villages  of  the  savages,   in  which  there  are  six  or 


seven  thousand  souls,  are  about  a  pistol-shot  dis- 
tance from  ours.  All  the  lands  are  cleared  for 
about  three  leagues  around  the  village,  and  perfect- 
ly well  cultivated.  They  produce  a  sufficient 
quanity  of  Indian  corn  for  the  use  of  both  the 
French  and  savage  inhabitants." 

In  1669.  Cadillac,  perceiving  the  importance 
of  a  fort  on  the  de  Troit,  repaired  to  France  to 
present  the  subject  to  the  consideration  of  Count 
Pontchartrain.  the  Colonial  Minister.  He  was 
favorably  received,  and  authorized  to  establish  the 
proposed  fort  at  the  earliest  date  possible.  This 
he  accomplished  in  1701. 

With  the  exception  of  here  and  there  a  Jesuit 
missionary  and  a  few  half-savage  coureurs  de 
bois.  the  region  around  Michilimackinac  was  now 
forsaken  by  the  French. 

A  dispute  soon  arose  between  Cadillac  and 
the  Jesuits,  the  former  insisting  upon  a  concentra- 
tion of  French  interests  in  the  west,  at  Detroit,  the 
latter  urging  the  French  Government  to  re-estab- 
lish Michilimackinac.  The  Jesuits  did  all  in  their 
power  to  prevent  the  Indians  removing  to  Detroit, 
while  Cadillac  held  out  every  inducement  to  pre- 
vail upon  them  to  desert  their  village  and  settle 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  new  fort,  and  so  far  succeed- 


ed that,  in  1705.  the  Jesuits  became  discouraged, 
burned  their  church,  and  returned  to  Quebec.  But 
alarmed  at  this  step,  the  Governor  soon  prevailed 
upon  Father  James  Marest  to  return:  and  shortly 
after,  the  Ottawas.  who  were  becoming  dissatisfied 
at  Detroit,  began  to  move  back  to  Michilimack- 
inac. 

Father  Marest  now  did  all  in  his  power  to 
prevail  upon  the  French  Government  to  send 
M.  Louvigay.  a  former  commander,  with  a  few 
soldiers,  to  re-establish  the  fort  at  St.  Ignace, 
but  did  not  succeed  until  1714,  when  the  long 
wished  for  garrison  and  commander  arrived,  giving 
new  life  to  the  settlement. 

In  1721  Father  Charlevoix  was  at  Michili- 
mackinac and  wrote  as  follows:  "I  arrived  the 
twenty-eighth  (June)  at  this  post,  which  is  much 
declined  since  M.  de  Cadillac  drew  to  Detroit  the 
greater  part  of  the  savages  who  were  settled  here, 
and  especially  the  Hurons.  Several  Ottawas  have 
followed  them:  others  have  dispersed  themselves 
in  the  Beaver  Islands.  There  is  only  here  a  mid- 
dling village,  where  there  is  still  a  great  trade  for 
peltry,  because  it  is  the  passage  for.  or  the  rendez- 
vous of  many  of  the  savage  nations.  The  fort  is 
preserved  and  the  house  of  the  missionaries,  who 
are  not  much  employed  at  present,   having  never 


found  much  docility  among  the  Ottawas.  but  the 
court  tliinks  their  presence  necessary,  in  a  place 
where  one  must  often  treat  with  our  allies,  to 
exercise  their  ministry  among  the  French,  who 
come  hither  in  great  numbers.  I  have  been  assured 
that  since  the  settlement  of  Detroit  and  the  dis- 
persion of  the  savages  occasioned  thereby,  many 
nations  of  the  North,  who  used  to  bring  their  pel- 
tries hither,  have  taken  the  route  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
The  situation  at  Michilimackinac  is  very  advan- 
tageous for  trade.  The  post  is  between  three  great 
lakes.  Lake  Michigan,  which  is  three  hundred 
leagues  in  compass,  without  mentioning  the  great 
bay  that  comes  into  it:  Lake  Huron,  which  is 
three  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  in  circumference, 
and  which  is  triangular:  and  the  Upper  Lake. 
which  is  five  hundred  leagues." 

Charlevoi.x.  at  the  time  of  this  visit,  1721, 
apparently  describes  the  post  and  settlement  of 
North  Michilimackinac.  (St.  Ignacc.)  as  he  says: 
"The  fort  is  preserved,  and  the  house  of  the  mis- 
sionaries." but  does  not  allude  to  the  church,  as 
that  burned  in  1703.  The  movement  of  South 
Michilimackinac  must  have  been  gradual  up  to 
1760.  when  the  Province  of  Michilimackinac  was 
transferred  to  the  British. 

From  the  early  part  until  about  the  middle 


of  the  eighteenth  century  there  is  little  history 
recorded  of  the  province  of  Michilimackinac.  and 
of  the  region  about  the  straits  of  the  same  name. 
The  establishment  of  the  Province  of  Detroit,  and 
the  withdrawal  of  the  troops  to  the  town  o( 
Detroit,  on  that  strait,  where  many  Indians  fol- 
lowed, caused  a  diversion  of  trade  and  consequent 
decline  of  supremacy. 

With  the  victory  of  the  English  on  the  Plains 
of  Abraham,  before  Quebec.  September  1  2th  and 
nth.  1759.  the  successful  General  Wolf  fell,  and 
the  defeated  General  Montcalm  was  also  killed. 
The  subsequent  surrender  of  Montreal  and  Cana- 
da, with  all  its  dependencies,  on  the  8th  of  Sep- 
tember. 1760.  by  the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil.  to 
the  British  Crown,  was  the  opening  wedge  to  a 
change  in  history.  The  Province  of  Michilimack- 
inac was  transferred  to  Britain,  and  the  French 
habitants  remained  and  the  effects  of  their  civil 
institutions  and  religion  are  evident  to  this  day. 

The  change  from  French  to  English  rule  was 
not  agreeable  to  the  Indians  of  the  Lakes.  They 
liked  better  the  French  dominion  and  their  per- 
sonal relations  with  the  French  people  than  they 
did  the  English  sway  and  English  associations, 
and  they  did  not  take  kindly  to  the  transfer.  One 
reason  for  this  preference  is  said  to  have  been  that 


the  French  people  were  accustomed  to  pay  respects 
to  all  the  Indians'  religious  or  superstitious  ob- 
servances, whereas  an  Englishman  or  an  American 
was  apt,  cither  to  take  no  pains  to  conceal  his  con- 
tempt for  their  superstitions  or  to  speak  out  blunt- 
ly against  them.  To  this  can  be  added  the  well 
known  fact  of  the  greater  readiness  of  the  French 
to  intermarry  and  domesticate  with  the  Indians. 

This  feeling  of  discontent  under  the  change 
of  empire,  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  was  fanned 
and  skillfully  directed  by  that  great  leader  and 
diplomat.  Pontiac:  and  "The  Conspiracy  of  Pon- 
tiac"  is  the  well-known  title  of  one  of  Parman's 
series  of  North  American  history.  This  conspir- 
acy was  no  less  than  a  deep  and  comprehensive 
scheme,  matured  by  this  most  crafty  savage  chief, 
for  a  general  Indian  uprising,  in  which  all  English 
forts,  from  the  south  to  the  upper  lakes,  were  to 
be  attacked  simultaneously,  and  the  English  rule 
forever  destroyed.  The  Indians  would  vauntingly 
say,  "You  have  conquered  the  French,  but  you 
have  not  conquered  us."  Out  of  tweh'c  forts, 
nine  were  taken,  but  not  long  held. 

While  this  scheme  was,  of  course  a  failure 
in  its  larger  features,  the  plot  against  the  old  post 
of  Michilimackinac  across  the  water  succeeded  only 
too  well.      The  strategy  and  horror  of  that  cap- 


ture reads  like  a  talc  of  fiction. 

In  1763  a  band  of  thirty-five  English  soldiers 
and  their  officers  formed  its  garrison.  Encamped 
in  the  woods  not  far  off  was  a  large  number  of 
Indians.  One  morning  in  the  month  of  June, 
with  great  show  of  friendliness,  the  Indians  in- 
vited the  soldiers  to  witness  their  match  game  of 
ball,  just  outside  the  stockade.  The  Chippewas 
were  to  play  the  Sacs,  Then,  as  now  ball 
playing  had  great  fascination.  And  as  this  was 
the  birthday  of  the  King  of  England,  and  the  men 
were  in  a  celebrating  mood,  some  indulgence  was 
shown,  discipline  for  a  time  relaxed,  gates  were 
left  ajar  and  the  soldiers  and  officers  carelessly  saun- 
tered out  and  looked  on,  enjoying  the  sport.  In 
the  course  of  the  play,  and  as  a  part  of  the  pre- 
arranged stratagem,  the  ball  was  so  struck  that  it 
fell  within  the  stockade  line  of  the  fort.  As  if 
pursuing  it,  the  players  came  rushing  to  the  gate. 
The  soldiers,  intent  in  watching  the  play,  suspect- 
ed nothing.  The  Indians  now  had  an  open  way 
within,  and  instantly  turned  from  ball-players  in- 
to warriors,  and  a  terrifying  "whoop"  was  given. 
The  squaws,  as  sharing  in  the  plot,  were  standing 
near  with  tomahawks  concealed  under  their  blank- 
ets. These  were  seized,  and  then  followed  a  most 
shocking  massacre.      The  surprise  of  the  fort  and 


the  success  of  the  red  men  was  complete. 

The  details  of  this  dreadful  event  are  vividly 
told  by  the  English  trader.  Alexander  Henry,  so- 
journing at  the  time,  with  his  goods  within  the 
stockade,  and  unfortunately  a  sharer  in  the  dread- 
ful scenes  and  experiences.  Excepting  the  very 
meagre  report  of  the  humiliating  capture  made  by 
Captain  Ethcrington,  the  officer  in  command, 
there  seems  to  be  nothing  but  the  narrative  of  this 
English  trader.  When  the  fort  was  captured  by 
the  savages,  he  himself  was  hidden  for  the  first 
night  out  of  their  murderous  reach,  but  was  dis- 
covered the  next  day.  Then  followed  a  series  of 
experiences  and  hair-breadth  escapes  and  turns  of 
fortune  very  remarkable,  while  all  the  time  the 
most  barbarous  fate  seemed  impending.  It  was 
not  enough  that  his  goods  were  confiscated  and  his 
very  clothes  stripped  off  his  body,  but  the  savage 
captors  thirsted  for  his  blood.  They  said  of  him 
and  their  other  prisoners,  that  they  were  being 
reserved  to  "make  English  broth."  After  four 
days  of  such  horror  there  came  a  turn  which  Henry 
says  gave  "a  new  color  to  my  lot."  During  his 
residence  at  the  post  before  the  massacre,  a  certain 
Chippewa  Indian  named  Wawatam.  who  used  to 
come  frequently  to  his  house,  had  become  very 
friendly  and  told  him  that  the  Great  Spirit  point- 


ed him  out  as  one  to  adopt  as  a  brother,  and  to 
regard  as  one  of  his  own  family.  Suddenly,  on 
the  fourth  day  of  his  captivity,  Wawatam  ap- 
peared on  the  scene.  Before  a  council  of  chiefs 
he  asked  the  release  of  his  brother,  the  trader,  at 
the  same  time  laying  down  presents  to  buy  off 
whatever  claims  any  may  have  thought  they  had 
on  the  prisoner.  Wawatam's  request,  or  demand 
was  granted,  and  taking  Mr.  Henry  by  the  hand 
he  led  him  to  his  own  lodge,  where  he  received 
the  utmost  kindness. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards,  fearing  an  attack 
of  retaliation  by  the  English,  the  whole  body  of 
Indians  moved  from  the  fort  over  to  the  Island 
as  a  place  of  safety.  They  landed  three  hundred 
and  fifty  fighting  men.  Wawatam  was  among 
them,  with  Henry  in  safe  keeping.  Several  days 
passed,  when  two  large  canoes  from  Montreal, 
with  English  goods  aboard,  were  seized  by  the 
Indians,  The  invoice  of  goods  contained  among 
other  things,  a  large  quantity  of  liquor,  and  soon 
mad  drunkenness  prevailed  The  watchful  and 
faithful  Wawatam  lold  Henry  he  feared  he  could 
not  protect  him  when  the  Indians  were  in  liquor, 
and  besides,  as  he  frankly  confessed,  "he  could  not 
himself  resist  the  temptation  of  joining  his  com- 
rades in  the  debauch."    He  therefore  took  him  up 


the  hill  and  back  in  the  woods,  and  hid  him  in  a 
cave,  where  he  was  to  remain  hidden  "until  the 
liquor  should  be  drank."  After  an  uncomfort- 
able night,  Henry  discovered  next  morning  to  his 
horror,  that  he  had  been  lying  on  a  heap  of  human 
bones  and  skulls.  This  charnel-house  retreat  of 
Henry's  was  what  is  known  to-day  as  "Skull 
Cave."  In  relation  between  guest  and  prisoner, 
moving  with  the  band  from  place  to  place,  follow- 
ing the  occupation  of  a  hunter,  and  taking  up  with 
Indian  life,  he  at  length  finds  himself  at  the  Sault, 
where  soon  an  opportunity  opened  for  his  deliver- 
ance and  return  home.  Later  on  he  made  another 
trip  to  the  country  of  the  upper  lakes  and  remained 
for  a  longer  time.  Of  his  good  friend  Wawatam, 
it  is  a  sad  tradition  that  he  afterwards  became 
blind  and  was  accidently  burned  in  his  lodge  on 
the  island  at  "Iroquois"  point. 

For  the  next  thirteen  years  the  history  of 
the  post  appears  to  have  been  military  routine  with 
the  annual  gathering  and  departure  of  the  fur- 
traders  until  the  garrison  was  removed  to  Michili- 
mackinac  Island  in   1780-81. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1779,  Major  Patrick 
Sinclair,  Lieutenant-Governor,  arrived  and  as- 
sumed command  of   (South)   Michilimackinac,  re- 


lieving Major  DePeyster,  who  left  for  Detroit  on 
October  15  th. 

Major  Sinclair  sent  to  the  Island,  November 
6,  1779,  the  sloop  of  war,  Welcome,  with  work- 
men and  the  timbers  of  a  house  to  be  erected  for 
them  to  live  in.  The  government  house  was 
erected  below  the  present  fort.  February  and 
March  1780,  when  the  ice  was  firm,  the  Catholic 
Church,  on  the  south  shore,  was  taken  down,  the 
logs  hauled  over,  and  the  church  rebuilt  on  the  old 
cemetery  lot.  A  government  wharf  was  built  of 
log  cribs,  filled  with  stone,  in  the  bay  in  front  of 
the  present  south  sally  port.  On  the  4th  of 
November,  that  same  year,  Lieutenant-Governor 
Sinclair  moved  over  to  the  Island  and  established 
his  headquarters.  During  the  winter  a  block- 
house was  completed  east  of  the  government  house, 
on  the  present  school  lot. 

During  the  fall  of  1780  the  sash,  doors  and 
casings  and  other  wood-work  of  many  buildings 
were  sent  over  in  vessels  to  the  Island;  and  in  the 
following  winter  the  logs  and  timbers  taken  down 
were  hauled  over  on  the  ice.  When  spring  came, 
the  traders  pulled  down  their  buildings  and  rafted 
them  to  the  Island,  where  the  logs  were  again  put 
up.  Their  provisions  and  goods  were  sent  in  boats. 
The  entire  movement  of  the  troops  were  not  com- 


plctcd  until  btc  in  the  summer  of  1781.  The 
British  continued  to  improve  the  fort  and 
strengthen  the  position  until  1796.  when  their 
troops  were  withdrawn  to  St.  Joseph's  Island. 

At  the  close  of  1775-83  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  of  America  was  acknowledged 
by  Great  Britain  and  by  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of 
Paris.  September  3.  1783,  the  post  of  Michili- 
mackinac  Island  with  others  on  the  lakes,  became 
a  part  of  the  Republic.  On  various  pretexts  the 
British  retained  possession  of  this  and  other  forts 
until  after  the  treaty  promulgated  on  the  29th  of 
February.  1796.  in  which  it  was  stipulated  that 
all  British  troops  should  be  withdrawn  from 
posts  within  the  boundaries  by  June  1,  1796. 

The  first  United  States  troops  to  occupy  Fort 
Mackinac  Island  were  in  command  of  Major  Henry 
Burdeck.  who.  with  one  company  of  Artillerists 
and  Engineers,  and  a  company  of  the  1st  Infantry 
and  three  officers  arrived  in  October,  1796.  and 
took  possession.  The  British  retired  to  the  island 
of  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Canada  side,  a  little  above 
Detour,  and  established  a  fort  there. 

Following  the  change  of  flag  nothing  very 
stirring  happened  in  the  island  history  during  the 
years  immediately  succeeding.        It   soon   became 


however,  a  great  commercial  seat  in  the  wilderness. 
The  chief  commodity  was  furs.  From  an  early 
day  this  had  been  a  business  carried  on  by  individ- 
ual traders  who  went  among  the  Indians.  In 
course  of  time  these  operations  assumed  a  larger 
and  more  systematic  form  under  the  hands  of 
strong  chartered  companies.  The  fur  trade,  to- 
gether with  other  lines  of  traffic  made  the  island  for 
many  years  a  great  commercial  scat.  While  at 
this  time  the  Island  was  United  States  territory, 
and  the  fort  with  its  ever  floating  flag  was  a  visi- 
ble token  of  its  Americanism,  the  village  as  a 
whole  with  its  Indian  and  French  population  per- 
haps did  not  appear  so  characteristically  American. 
The  year  1812  brought  our  second  war  with 
Great  Britain,  and  it  might  be  said  that  the  very 
first  scene  of  the  war  was  enacted  on  the  little  is- 
land of  Mackinac.  The  two  governments  had 
been  under  strained  relations  for  some  time  before, 
and  on  the  19th  of  June,  of  that  year,  the  state 
of  war  declared  by  President  Madison.  Lieuten- 
ant Hanks  commanded  Fort  Mackinac  and  the 
position  in  which  he  found  himself  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  surrender  made  him  a  victim  of  circum- 
stances beyond  his  control.  The  British  at  both 
Detroit  and  St.  Joseph's  Island  only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  Mackinac  had  news  of  the  declaration 


of  war.  Capt.  Roberts  at  St.  Joseph  acted  im- 
mediately. All  the  available  fur-traders  and  In- 
dians were  quickly  added  to  his  troops  at  St. 
Joseph,  numbering  together  a  thousand  men.  The 
first  intimation  of  trouble  the  Americans  had  was 
the  movement  of  the  Indians.  Michael  Dousman, 
who  set  out  to  see  what  it  was  all  about,  was  made 
a  prisoner,  and  was  informed  that  any  resistance 
on  the  part  of  the  Americans  would  result  in  the 
massacre  of  ail.  regardless  of  age  or  sex.  He  was 
allowed  to  mass  the  citizens  at  the  Old  Distillery. 
under  a  British  guard.  Small  wonder  they  should 
urge  him  and  other  influential  citizens  to  counsel 
Hanks  surrender  unconditionally.  Reinforcing 
this  appeal  to  humanity  was  that  of  the  menacing 
guns  on  the  heights  above  Fort  Mackinac,  which 
the  British  had  placed  there  in  the  night.  (Just 
one  month  later,  lacking  a  day,  Lieutenant  Hanks 
was  killed  by  a  cannon  shot  at  the  bombardment 
of  Detroit,  from  near  Windsor.)  After  the  sur- 
render the  citizens  were  assembled  at  the  govern- 
ment house  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
British  Crown,  which  most  of  them  willingly  did. 
The  British  troops  held  the  fort  and  island  until 
the  summer  of  1815,  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

Although   the   British   had   captured   the   Is- 
land   without   bloodshed,    they   were   in   constant 


fear  of  attack  from  the  land  and  naval  forces  of 
the  United  States.  After  the  memorable  naval 
battle  near  the  head  of  Lake  Erie  between  Perry 
and  Barclay,  September  10,  1813,  when  the  entire 
British  fleet  of  six  vessels  was  captured  or  de- 
stroyed, the  tide  had  turned  and  the  chances  of  in- 
vasion were  imminent. 

In  April,  1814,  an  expedition  was  proposed 
to  capture  Mackinac  Island.  Orders  were  issued 
June  2,  and  a  fleet  of  vessels  fitted  out,  with  Com- 
modore Sinclair  on  board  together  with  a  land 
force  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  men, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Croghan  commanding.  They 
sailed  July  3,  but  bad  weather  and  uncharted 
routes  without  a  pilot,  delayed  them  so  that  they 
did  not  reach  the  vicinity  of  the  Island  until  the 
latter  part  of  the  month,  and  after  hovering  about 
for  a  week  it  was  concluded  there  was  no  other 
way  than  to  imitate  the  plan  of  the  successful 
enemy,  two  years  before.  So  they  sailed  around 
to  "British  Landing"  and  disembarked  August 
4th.  and  marched  as  far  as  the  Early  farm.  But 
the  conditions  were  entirely  difl^erent  from  those 
of  two  years  before,  and  the  movement  v/as  a  mel- 
ancholy failure.  Their  plans  were  not  so  much 
to  attempt  the  storming  of  the  works  as  to  feel 
the  enemy's  strength  and  to  establish  a  lodgment 


from  which  by  slow  and  gradual  approaches  they 
might  hope  for  success.  All  such  expectations 
were  soon  dissipated.  Facing  the  open  field  on 
the  Early  farm  were  the  thick  woods,  which  were 
a  perfect  screen  to  the  Indian  skirmishers,  who, 
concealed  in  their  vantage  points,  hotly  attacked 
our  soldiers:  to  say  nothing  of  an  English  battery 
of  four  pieces,  firing  shot  and  shells.  There  could 
be  neither  advancing  nor  entrenching.  The  only 
wise  thing  was  to  retreat  to  the  vessels.  This 
was  done  and  the  expedition  left  the  Island,  hav- 
ing lost  fifteen  killed  and  about  fifty  wounded. 
Major  Andrew  Hunter  Holmes,  next  in  command 
to  Colonel  Croghan,  was  one  of  the  slain  in  this 
most  unfortunate  action.  He  fell  while  leading 
his  battalion  in  a  ilank  movement  on  the  right. 
A  Spaniard  and  a  Winnebago  chief  called  Yellow 
Dog.  both  claimed  that  they  killed  the  Major. 
The  body  of  Major  Holmes  was  recovered  after 
the  battle  and  taken  to  Detroit  for  interment.  The 
fort  being  found  impregnable  by  assault,  no  furth- 
er attempts  at  capture  were  made,  and  the  expedi- 
tion returned  down  the  lake  to  Detroit. 

However  the  ambition  to  regain  the  island 
was  not  yet  abandoned.  It  was  thought  to  starve 
out  the  garrison  and  thus  force  a  surrender.  Two 
vessels,   the  "Tigress"   and  the  "Scorpion,"   were 


detached  from  the  fleet  and  left  to  maintain  a 
strict  blockade.  This  was  proving  very  effective, 
and  provisions  ran  so  low  in  Mackinac,  that  a  loaf 
of  bread  would  sell  for  one  dollar  on  the  streets, 
and  the  men  of  the  garrison  were  killing  horses 
for  meat. 

But  relief,  and  that  by  their  own  sagacity 
and  daring,  was  at  hand  for  the  beleagured  garri- 
son. Lieutenant  Worsley.  with  seventeen  sailors 
of  the  Royal  Navy,  had  managed  to  escape  when 
our  fleet  destroyed  the  "Nancy"  and  block  house 
at  Nottawasaga,  and  effect  a  passage  in  an  open 
boat  to  the  fort  at  Mackinac.  Forced  by  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  situation,  a  bold  and  desperate  pro- 
ject was  undertaken,  and  that  the  capture  of  the 
two  blockading  vessels.  Batteaux  were  manned 
under  Lieutenant  Worsley  with  his  seamen 
and  volunteers  from  the  garrison,  making  in 
all  about  seventy  men.  On  a  dark  night,  rowing 
rapidly  and  in  silence,  they  approached  first  the 
"Tigress."  and  taking  it  entirely  by  surprise, 
leaped  aboard  and  after  a  hand  to  hand  struggle 
soon  had  possession.  On  the  second  day  after, 
the  "Scorpion"  was  seen  beating  up  towards  her 
companion  ship,  unaware  of  its  change  of  fortune. 
Night  coming  on  she  anchored  some  two  miles  off. 
About  daylight  the  Tigress  set  sail,  swept  down 


on  the  Scorpion,  opened  fire,  boarded  and  captured 
her.  That  was  the  final  stroke  to  the  ill-fated 
expedition  and  Michilimackinac  was  secure  for 
another  winter. 

The  affair  of  August  4,  1814,  and  the  sub- 
sequent connected  events,  was  a  serious  and  disas- 
trous defeat  to  the  United  States.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  ratified 
the  following  year,  the  continued  occupation  of 
the  fort  and  straits,  by  the  British,  would  have 
been  of  far-reaching  effect  on  the  commercial  and 
industrial  interest  of  this  nation.  Peace  was  con- 
cluded between  the  two  contending  nations  during 
the  winter  of  1814-15,  as  the  result  of  the  Treaty 
of  Gent,  December  24,   1815. 

The  American  spirit  and  regime  were  soon 
fully  restored  after  its  re-possession  by  our  troops 
in  1815.  From  that  time  on  there  was  a  long 
succession  of  regular  army  soldiers  and  officers 
inhabiting  the  old  quarters  and  barracks.  Many 
of  the  officers  who  afterwards  acquired  high  rank 
and  distinction  during  our  civil  war,  1861-1865, 
either  in  the  Union  Army  or  Southern,  had  been 
in  service  on  the  Island  as  young  Captains  or 
Lieutenants.  General  Pemberton  was  once  a  mem- 
ber of  the  garrison,  and  in  a  private  letter  written 
by  one  of  the  citizens  in    1840,   when   the   little 


island  was  ice-bound  and  there  was  a  dearth  of 
news,  it  is  incidentally  mentioned  that  "Lieuten- 
ant Pemberton  in  the  fort  is  engaged  in  getting  up 
a  private  theatre,  in  an  endeavor  to  ward  off  win- 
ter and  solitude," — the  young  officer  little  dream- 
ing of  that  more  serious  drama  in  which  he  was 
to  act,  twenty-three  years  later,  as  commander  of 
Vicksburg.  with  Grant's  besieging  armies  around 
him. 

During  the  civil  war,  all  troops  being  needed 
at  the  front,  the  soldiers  were  withdrawn  from  the 
fort.  This  was  but  temporary,  however,  and  did 
not  mean  its  abandonment.  Its  flag  and  a  solitary 
sergeant  were  left  to  show  that  it  was  still  a  mili- 
tary post  of  the  United  States.  This  faithful 
soldier  remained  at  the  fort  for  many  years  after 
the  war,  and  was  known  to  visitors  as  the  "Old 
Sergeant."  For  a  period  during  the  war  it  was 
made  the  place  of  confinement  of  some  of  the  Con- 
federate prisoners,  principally  notable  officers  who 
had  been  captured,  at  which  time  Michigan  volun- 
teer troops  held  it. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  the  fort  resumed  its 
old  time  service  as  a  garrison  post,  generally  about 
fifty  or  sixty  men  of  the  regular  army,  with  its 
officers,  composing  the  force.  A  detachment  would 
serve  a  few  years,  then  be  transferred  and  another 


would  take  its  place,  to  enjoy  in  its  turn  the  re- 
cuperative climate  of  the  summer,  and  to  endure  the 
rigors  and  isolation  of  the  winters.  So  the  old 
fort  continued  in  use.  with  its  morning  and  eve- 
ning gun.  its  stirring  bugle  notes,  its  daily  "guard 
mount."  its  pacing  sentry,  its  drill,  its  "inspection 
days."  until  1895.  Then  the  United  States 
government,  by  formal  act  of  Congress,  abandoned 
the  fort,  and  gave  it  over,  together  with  the 
National  Park  of  eleven  hundred  acres,  to  the 
State  of  Michigan.  We  do  not  question  the  fact, 
that  as  a  fort,   constructed   in   primitive   times,   it 


was  unsuitcd  to  the  days  of  modern  warfare,  but 
for  sentimental  reasons  alone,  even  if  there  had 
been  no  other,  the  old  fort  should  have  been  re- 
tained as  a  United  States  post.  A  military  sear 
which  has  more  than  two  hundred  years  of  history 
behind  it.  is  not  often  to  be  found  in  the  western 
world.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  be  another  on  this 
continent  which  could  boast  of  so  long  a  period 
of  continuous  occupation  as  old  Fort  Michilimack- 
inac.  which  was  established  first  at  St.  Ignace  in 
the  17th  century,  then  removed  to  old  Mackinaw, 
and  located  on  the  Island  since  1780. 


Island's  Principal  Points  of  Interest 


Alexander  Hinrv  Tr.mi. — Trail  from 
parade  ground  to  Skull  Cave,  paralleling  Harrison 
Road.  Named  after  Alexander  Henry,  the  Eng- 
lish explorer  and  fur-trader,  who  narrowly  es- 
caped death  in  the  massacre  at  Old  Mackinac,  in 
June.   1763. 

Arch  Rock — According  to  Indian  tradi- 
tion, this  magnificent  arch,  which  from  some  view 
points  seems  suspended  in  the  air.  was  formed  by 
the  Giant  Fairies,  who  once  inhabited  the  Island, 
and  who  may   still   be  seen   about   this  chasm   of 


wild  grandeur  on  moonlight  nights  by  those  who 
have  the  eye  to  percieve  them.  Geologically,  it 
is  a  calcareous  formation,  which  was  among  the 
first  points  on  the  Island  to  project  above  the 
water  in  ancient  geological  times.  It  was  formed 
by  the  action  of  the  receding  waters,  wearing  and 
loosening  great  masses  from  its  sides.  The  sum- 
mit of  the  arch  is  a  hundred  and  forty-nine  feet 
above  the  lake  level,  with  a  span  of  over  fitty  feet. 
Arch  Rock  Tr.ml — An  old  Indian  trail 
from  the  northeast  corner  of  Marquette  Park,  up 


che  bluff  to  Cass  Cliff,  crossing  Huron  Road, 
Patawatomi  Court,  and  Arch  Rock  Road,  leading 
direct  to  Forest  King,  a  lone  pine  tree,  at  which  it 
makes  a  square  turn  to  the  right  and  ends  at  Arch 
Rock. 

Baby  ManITOU — A  detached  boulder  just 
a  little  distance  to  the  north  of  Gitchic  Manitou, 
both  being  on  the  East  Shore  Boulevard,  and 
below  Arch  Rock. 

Bancroft  Rest — Resting  place  on  east 
bluff.  Named  for  George  Bancroft,  the  American 
historian.  President  Polk  appointed  him  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  and  during  his  term  of  office  Bancroft 
established  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis. 

Battle  Field — Site  of  the  Battle  of  Mack- 
inac Island.  August  4,  1814.  when  the  Americans 
attacked  the  British  forces  on  the  Island.  It  was 
in  this  engagement  that  Major  Holmes  was  killed. 

Beaumont  Monument — Granite  mem- 
orial erected  by  the  medical  profession  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Dr.  William  Beaumont,  U.  S.  A.  Dr. 
Beaumont's  experiments  in  the  case  of  Alexis  St. 
Martin  brought  to  the  world  the  first  direct  in- 
formation concerning  the  action  of  the  gastric 
juice. 


Big  Molar — One  of  the  curiosities  of  the 
Island.  A  large  linden  tree  with  tooth-like  roots, 
at  St.  Joseph  Place,  landing  on  Arch  Rock  Trail. 

British  Landing — Spot  on  the  northwest 
shore  where  the  British  forces  landed  at  the  time 
of  the  capture  of  the  Island  in  1812. 

Cannon  Ball — An  inviting  stopping  place, 
at  British  Landing,  where  the  pedestrian  may  ob- 
tain some  good  things  to  eat. 

Cass  Cliff — Place  where  Arch  Rock  Trail 
reaches  the  summit  of  cast  bluff.  Here  is  a  tri- 
angular park  with  picturesque  clumps  of  cedars. 
From  this  point  can  be  seen  perhaps  at  their  best. 
Round  Island,  the  Light  House,  the  Harbor,  Life 
Saving  Station,  the  wharf,  and  business  section  of 
the  city.  The  name  of  General  Cass  is  prom- 
inently connected  with  the  early  history  of  Mack- 
inac Island  and  the  State  of  Michigan.  On  the 
28th  of  August,  1915,  a  magnificent  bronze 
Memorial  Tablet,  eight  feet  high  and  nearly  four 
feet  wide,  was  erected  at  Mackinac  Island.  A 
striking  life-like  bust  adorns  the  Tablet. 

Charlevoix  Heights — Projection  of  the 
bluff  in  front  of  Fort  Holmes,  giving  a  splendid 
bird's-eye  view  of  the  Straits  of  Mackinac  and  the 


north  shore  of  the  southern  peninsula.  Named 
for  Pierre  Francois  de  Charlevoix,  noted  historian. 

COUREURS  DE  BOIS  SHELTER — Natural  spot 
of  refuge:  a  knoll  on  the  bluff  edge  on  path  to 
Robertson's  Folly.  Named  for  the  coureurs  de 
bois.  literally  "rangers  of  the  woods."  who  con- 
stituted a  class  of  men  which  grew  out  of  the 
fur-trade. 

Crack  in  the  Island — A  deep  fissure  in 

the  earth  several  feet  wide,  extending  several  rods. 
This  natural  curiosity  is  well  worth  seeing.  It  is 
not  known  what  brought  it  about.  Tradition 
tells  that  it  is  the  remnant  of  an  extinct  volcano. 
It  strongly  resembles  fissure  caused  by  earth 
quakes. 

Crooked  Tree  Drive — A  road  from  the 

vicinity  of  Sugar  Loaf,  through  attractive  growth 
of  gnarled  trees,  to  Four  Corners. 

Cupid's  Pathway — A  road  from  the  rear 
of  the  Fort  to  Indian  village. 

Devil's  Kitchen — Limestone  cave.  One 
of  the  delights  of  the  Island.  A  favorite  place  for 
tourists  to  build  camp  fires  and  roast  marsh- 
mallows. 

Early  Farm — (  Wawashkamo  Golf  Links. ) 
No  plot  of  ground  in  America  has  more  romantic. 


picturesque  or  historic  associations.  Over  its  fields 
the  Indians.  French.  English  and  Americans  have 
trod.  Here  the  British  crossed  in  1812,  when  they 
captured  Fort  Mackinac.  Here  the  memorable 
battle  of  Mackinac  Island  took  place,  and  the  life 
blood  of  brave  soldiers  was  spilled. 

Fairy  Arch — Limestone  arch  standing  out 
from  the  cliff  wall  near  Robertson's  Folly,  on  the 
way  to  Dwightwood  Spring  and  Arch  Rock. 

Fort  Hol.MES — Built  by  the  British  soon 
after  the  capture  of  Mackinac  in  1812.  The 
British  named  it  Fort  George,  after  the  reigning 
English  King,  George  III.  When  the  Americans 
took  possession  of  the  Island  after  the  war.  they 
named  it  Fort  Holmes,  after  Major  Andrew  Hun- 
ter Holmes,  who  was  killed  in  the  Battle  of  Mack- 
inac Island.  Aug.  4.  1814,  in  the  attempt  to  take 
the  fort  from  the  British. 

Fort  Mackinac — Located  on  the  heights 
above  the  village.  It  is  one  of  the  dominant  fea- 
tures of  the  Island  landscapes.  It  is  situated  on 
an  elevation  133  feet  above  the  water,  and  com- 
mands the  town  and  harbor  and  the  Straits.  The 
parapets  and  old-time  block  houses  have  an  air 
delightfully  antiquated  and  picturesque.  Thou- 
sands of  visitors  ascend  the  steep  slope  every  year 
to  make  explorations  of   its  quaint  construction 


and  arrangement.  The  cedar  stockade  with  its 
loopholes  for  musketry  fell  into  decay  long  ago: 
parapet  and  block  house  have  been  dismantled  of 
their  guns,  and  no  sentry  challenges  approach. 
With  open  gate  and  unbarred  port,  interposing 
not  even  a  no-tresspass  warning,  Fort  Mackinac 
welcomes  all  comers  to  ramble  through  its  bounds 
and  ascend  the  parapets. 

Friendship's  Altar — Sometimes  called  Pul- 
pit Rock.  An  interesting  natural  formation  north- 
east of  and  near  British  Landing. 

Giant's  Stairway — Natural  limestone  steps 
of  giant  size  in  the  clifF  leading  to  Fairy  Arch. 

GiTCHIE  Manitou — A  massive  rock  lying 
between  East  Shore  Boulevard  and  Lake  Huron, 
below  Arch  Rock  and  beyond  Dwightwood 
Spring.  This  probably  once  formed  a  part  of 
Arch  Rock.  According  to  Indian  tradition,  here 
was  the  landing  place  of  the  Great  Manitou  of 
the  Lakes. 

Golf  Links — Links  of  Wawashkamo  Club, 
formerly  Early  Farm.  The  "Grand"  Golf  Links 
are  located  between  the  village  and  Grand  Hotel. 

Hiawatha  Spring — A  rushing  spring  of 
water,  located  midway  up  the  cliff,  by  Dwight- 
wood Spring.     The  waters  from  both  Hiawatha 


and  Dwightwood  Springs  is  attested  by  thousands 
of  tourists  and  summer  visitors,  to  be  especially 
healthful  and  strengthening. 

Indian  Village — Also  known  as  Harris- 

onville.  Indian  settlement  in  private  claim  named 
Harrisonville.  after  President  William  Henry 
Harrison.  The  descendants  of  some  of  the  most 
noted  Indian  warriors  still  reside  there. 

Juniper  Trail — Trail  from  Sugar  Loaf 
Rock  to  Crooked  Tree  Drive.  This  locality 
abounds  in  a  luxuriant  growth  of  Juniper  shrubs. 

Lake  Shore  Boulevard — Driveway  ex- 
tending along  the  shore,  completely  encircling  the 
Island,  it  is  a  drive  which  cannot  be  excelled  for 
novelty,  variety  and  scenic  effect. 

LaSalle  Spring — Fine  flow  of  water 
originally  used  to  supply  the  Garrison  of  Fort 
Mackinac.  This  spring  is  named  for  Rene  Robert 
Cavelier  de  LaSalle,  the  great  explorer.  He  first 
came  to  Mackinac  in  1679,  on  board  the  Griffon, 
a  sailing  vessel  built  by  his  orders  a  little  above 
Niagara  Falls,  in  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  ex- 
plorers to  traverse  the  Great  Lakes  in  a  boat  larger 
than  the  birchbark  canoe. 

Leslie  Avenue — Named  for  Colonel  Les- 
lie,   who    projected    an    extensive    plan    for    road 


development    for    Mackinac    Island.      Runs    in    a 
northwesterly  direction  from  Arch  Rock. 

Life  Saving  Station — The  United  States 
government  in  1915  built  this,  one  of  the  most 
modern  stations  in  the  entire  service.  Its  first 
season  in  active  use  began  in  1916.  The  credit 
for  bringing  about  the  establishing  of  the  station 
belongs  Col.  Wm.  P.  Preston,  for  many  years 
Mayor  of  Mackinac  Island. 

Lover's  Leap — Limestone  pillar  detached 
from  cliff.  This  lone  pinnacle  rises  to  a  height  of 
145  feet  above  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan, 
about  a  mile  west  of  the  main  part  of  the  city. 
The  legend  which  gives  it  its  name  is  that  in  the 
long  ago  an  Indian  maiden  of  the  Ojibway  tribe 
watched  from  this  height  the  departure  of  her 
lover  with  a  war  expedition  across  the  water;  and 
to  the  rock  she  came  day  after  day  to  await  his 
coming.  At  last  the  party  returning  without  him. 
brought  word  of  his  death,  and  the  distracted 
maiden  not  caring  for  life  any  longer  leaped  from 
this  cliff;  the  lifeless  body  was  found  by  her  father 
at  the  foot  of  the  precipice  the  evening  after. 

Marquette  Park  and  Statue — At  the 
foot  of  Fort  Mackinac;  statue  of  Father  Marquette 
is  in  the  center  of  Marquette  Park.    Father  Jaques 


.Marquette  founded  the  first  mission  on  the  Straits 
of  Mackinac,  in  1671.  He  came  to  Mackinac  in 
the  spring  of  that  year  from  the  mission  at  La 
Pointc  on  Lake  Superior,  where  he  had  succeeded 
Father  Allouez  in  1665.  On  September  1.  1909. 
the  Marquette  Statue  in  Marquette  Park  was  ded- 
icated to  his  memory  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 

Medicine  Man's  Trail — Trail  from  In- 
dian Village  to  Annex  Road,  said  to  have  been  the 
haunt  of  the  Indian  medicine  men. 

Mission  Church — Built  by  the  Presby- 
terian mission  under  Rev.  William  .M.  Ferry  in 
1830.  This  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  Protestant 
church  building  in  the  Old  Northwest  that  is  still 
standing.  The  style  of  its  interior  and  of  its 
furnishings  has  been  preserved  as  it  was  when  the 
church  was  first  built. 

NicoLET  Watch  Tower — Fine  view  point 
above  Arch  Rock.  This  point  is  named  in  honor 
of  Jean  Nicolet.  the  first  white  man  known  to 
have  viewed  the  Straits  of  Mackinac.  In  1915  a 
bronze  tablet  in  his  honor  was  unveiled  at  Arch 
Rock  under  the  auspices  of  the  Michigan  Histori- 
cal Commission,  the  Mackinac  Island  State  Park 
Commission  and  the  City  of  Mackinac  Island. 

OfeicER'S  Quarters — Stone  dwelling  oc- 
cupied   by    officers   of    Fort    Mackinac.      Built    in 


1781.  Three  prominent  Confederate  prisoners  of 
war  were  confined  here  during  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion. 

Ottawa  Trail — An  old  Indian  trail  along 
the  edge  of  the  bluff.  The  name  Ottawa  means, 
according  to  the  government's  derivation,  "to 
trade."  "to  buy  and  sell."  The  Ottawas  were 
noted  among  their  neighbors  as  intertribal  traders, 
chiefly  in  corn-meal.  firs,  tobacco  and  herbs. 
Champlain  was  the  first  white  man  to  meet  them, 
in  1615.  near  the  mouth  of  French  river  in 
Georgian  Bay.  The  Ottawa  River  in  Canada 
bears  their  name,  where  many  made  their  home 
when  first  known  to  whites. 

Perry  Cannon — Old  iron  cannon  in  front 
of  Fort  Mackinac  on  the  Lake  front,  said  to  have 
been  used  on  a  boat  of  Perrv's  fleet  in  the  battle 
of  lake  Erie  in  1813. 

Point  Lookout — Located  a  short  distance 
north  of  Fort  Holmes:  gives  a  fine  view  of  Straits 
and  Lake  Huron,  over  forest. 

PoNTiAC's  Lookout — A  cliff  on  the  south 
shore,  beyond  the  Grand  Hotel  and  the  West  End. 
Commands  one  of  the  finest  views  on  the  Island. 
The  name  is  a  fitting  recognition  of  Pontiac's 
place  in  the  history  of  the  region:  although  it  is 


possible  that  he  himself  never  looked  out  from  tlie 
rock. 

Robertson's  Folly — The  lofty,  broad  and 
blunt  precipitous  cliff  at  the  East  end  of  the  Island, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  above  the 
earth.  The  origin  of  the  name  is  uncertain,  save 
that  it  is  associated  in  some  way  with  the  English 
Captain  Robertson,  who  belonged  to  the  fort  gar- 
rison for  seven  years,  and  was  its  commandant 
from  1782  to  1787.  There  are  a  number  of 
traditionary  stories,  or  legends,  in  explanation  of 
the  name.  These  stories  vary  from  the  prosaic 
and  trifling,  to  the  very  romantic  and  tragical. 

Scott's  Cave — Located  at  northwestern 
end  of  Island,  near  shore  drive.  Named  after 
Thomas  Scott  of  the  53rd  Regiment  at  Fort 
Mackinac  in  1787.  The  cave  is  sometimes  called 
Flinn's  Cave.  The  low  entrance  is  deceptive  as  to 
the  giant  cavity  concealed  within. 

Skull  Cave — So  called  from  the  numerous 
human  bones  found  there  in  early  times.  It  was 
here  that  Alexander  Henrv  fhe  English  fur-trader, 
sought  refuge  in  his  flight  from  the  Indians  after 
the  Massacre  at  Old  Mackinac  in  1763. 

South  Sally  Port — One  of  the  original 
gateways,  being  an  opening  in  the  walls  of  the 
Fort  provided  for  making  charges  or  sallies  by  the 


h. 


MACKINAC  ISl 

Silualtd    in    the    Siritli    of    Maclinic.    which   diridn 

Lake    Michigan    ind    Lalic    Huron.     It    ii    righl    miUt    in    ci 


D.   MiLHiGAN 

Upper    and    Lower    Penii 


garrison  against  the  enemy,  a  military  maneuver 
of  the  early  times. 

Sugar  Loaf — Named  on  account  of  its 
conical  shape.  The  rock  is  a  huge  cone  rising  90 
feet  amid  the  forest  growth:  it  stands  285  feet 
above  the  lake.  An  admirable  and  imposing-land- 
scape with  Sugar  Loaf  as  a  central  figure  is  had 
from  point  Lookout.  In  Indian  mythology,  this 
was  the  wigwam  of  the  Great  Spirit  Manabozho, 
who  recreated  the  world  after  the  ancient  deluge 
and  here  made  his  home,  hence  the  cave  in  its  side. 

Trail  of  the  Loneso.me  Pine — An  old 

Indian  trail  which  runs  past  Forest  King  from 
Arch  Rock  Trail  to  the  Old  Quarry  and  Charle- 
voix Heights. 

West  Block  House — Built  by  the  British 
in  1780.  In  the  spring  of  1812  Fort  Mackinac 
was  within  the  intersecting  lines  of  three  block 
houses.  There  were  no  buildings  within  the  lines. 
The  only  approach  was  through  the  south  and 


north  sally  ports,  each  provided  with  portcullis 
that  could  be  instantly  dropped.  The  block 
houses  were  armed  with  iron  cannonades  that  pro- 
tected the  picket  walls  of  the  fort,  and  iron  guns 
well  planted  at  convenient  places  so  as  to  rake  the 
hillsides  and  other  approaches. 

Wishing  Spring — Located  near  Devil's 
Kitchen.  Natural  outflow  of  water:  clear  as  crys- 
tal, flows  from  above,  dripping,  cool  and  refresh- 
ing. If  you  drink  and  wish,  and  keep  the  secret 
for  three  days,  tradition  says  you  will  get  whatever 
you  wish. 

WooLsoN    Rampart — It    is    named    for 

Constance  Fenimore  Woolson.  author  of  the  well- 
known  Mackinac  novel.  "Anne."  and  many  other 
stories  and  sketches  of  Mackinac  and  the  surround- 
ing region.  Mackinac  Island  never  had  a  more 
devoted  admirer  than  Miss  Woolson.  She  was  a 
grandniece  of  James  Fenimore  Cooper.  Her 
nephews  erected  in  1916  at  Mackinac  Island,  a 
beautiful  Bronze  Memorial  Tablet. 


The  Ideal  Summer  Resort 


Mackinac  Island,  the  best  known  and  most 
picturesque  summer  resort  on  the  Great  Lakes,  is 
situated  in  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  which  divides 


the  Upper  and  Lower  Peninsulas  of  Michigan  and 
connects  Lake  Michigan  and  Lake  Huron,  with 
Lake  Superior  just  a  short  distance  to  the  North. 


The  Island  is  eight  miles  in  circumference,  with 
an  area  of  three  and  one-half  miles.  The  surface 
is  elevated,  the  main  plateau  being  150  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  lake,  the  upper  plateau  294  feet, 
and  the  highest  point  near  the  southern  end  3  1 8 
feet.  Rising  so  high  from  the  lake,  and  fanned 
continuously  by  the  cool  breezes  of  three  large 
lakes,  Mackinac  has  a  delightful  climate  that  at- 
tracts thousands  of  people  every  season.  The 
surface  is  densely  wooded  with  maple,  oak.  birch 
and  beech;  also  a  profusion  of  evergreens,  juniper, 
tamarack,  balsam  and  pine. 

The  Island  is  justly  famed  for  its  scenery. 
The  heights  command  views  of  sea  and  shore 
ever  changing  with  the  varying  lights  and  shades 
of  the  hours  and  the  movements  of  the  passing 
ships.  In  our  estimation  Pontiac's  Lookout,  a 
cliff  on  the  south  shore,  commands  one  of  the 
finest  views  of  the  Island.  The  view  takes  in  a 
wide  sweep.  On  the  right  we  may  look  through 
the  Straits  to  Lake  Michigan  and  the  City  of  St. 
Ignace.  on  the  upper  peninsula:  opposite  is  Mack- 
inaw City,  on  the  lower  peninsula:  then  the  South 
Channel,  with  the  smoke  rising  above  Cheboygan 
in  the  far  distance:  Bois  Blanc,  and  Round  Islands, 
and  on  the  left,  seen  through  the  Straits,  stretches 
Lake  Huron,  while  beneath  us  decline  the  wooded 


island  slopes  to  the  curving  shore:  and  beyond  the 
Grand  Hotel  and  the  town.  It  is  a  noble  pros- 
pect, and  one  to  stir  the  imagination,  to  re-people 
Mackinac  with  its  ancient  denizens,  to  restore  the 
wigwams  to  the  shore,  the  upturned  canoes,  the 
smoke  rising  from  the  campfires,  and  the  dusky 
groups  of  men  and  women  with  children  at  play. 
We  may  see  in  fancy  the  bark  canoes  of  Marquette 
and  Joliet  setting  out  on  their  ever-memorable  ex- 
pedition to  the  Mississippi,  and  we  may  watch  the 
long  procession  of  Chippewas  and  Hurons  convoy- 
ing the  reclaimed  relics  of  their  beloved  priest  to 
his  resting  place  at  St.  Ignace.  Or  from  the  look- 
out we  may  see,  rounding  Bois  Blanc,  LaSalle's 
Griffon,  first  vessel  on  the  Great  Lakes,  and  proto- 
type of  the  mighty  fleet  of  to-day:  or  the  sails 
may  be  those  of  the  Niagara  and  the  Lawrence 
flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  fresh  from  their 
victory  on  Lake  Erie.  There  is  abundant  material 
in  the  past  of  Mackinac  to  dream  over;  and  the 
Island  and  its  surroundings  are  doubly  attractive 
because  thus  invested  with  human  interest. 

It  is  impossible  to  put  into  language  a  word 
picture  which  will  bring  to  your  understanding  the 
many  beauties  and  attractions  which  combine  to 
make  Mackinac  Island  the  "Queen  of  Northern 
Summer  Resorts."     Convenient  of  access  from  all 


directions,  dclighcfully  situated,  environed  with 
great  natural  beauty,  rich  in  legendary  lore  and 
historical  facts.  Mackinac  Island  claims  first  place 
among  the  summer  resorts  of  the  Great  Lakes.  No 
place  offers  such  inducements  for  complete  change, 
rest  and  quick  up-building  of  both  mind  and 
body  as  this  far-famed  spot,  and  as  the  body  is 
invigorated  by  the  health-giving  qualities  of  the 
atmosphere,  in  like  manner  the  eye  is  delighted  by 
an  ever-shifting  panorama  of  lake  and  sky  that 
rouses  in  the  heart  a  love  for  the  beautiful,  and 
brings  us  again  in  touch  with  Nature  in  her 
happier  mood. 

There  are  but  few  places  anywhere  in  our 
country  that  are  older  as  tourist  resorts.  Seventy 
and  eighty  years  ago  visitors  were  coming  here, 
despite  the  difficulty  and  tedium  in  that  time,  of 
reaching  so  remote  a  point.  Persons  of  high  dis- 
tinction in  public  life  and  in  walks  of  literature, 
and  travelers  from  foreign  countries,  were  often 
among  the  visitors:  and  the  Island  has  figured  in 
many  descriptive  books  of  travel.  These  early 
writers  all  having  spoken  very  highly  of  the  Island 
in  their  time,  we  believe  it  will  be  of  interest  to 
introduce  a  few  of  them  to  our  readers. 

In  1843,  the  Countess  Ossoli.  better  known 
as  our  American  Margaret  Fuller,  of  Boston,  spent 


nine  days  in  Mackinac,  as  part  of  a  protracted 
journey  she  made  in  the  northwest,  and  which 
she  detailed  in  her  book.  "Summer  on  the  Lakes." 
She  arrived  at  a  time  when  several  thousand  In- 
dians were  encamped  on  the  beach  to  receive  their 
annual  payments  from  the  government.  As  the 
vessel  came  into  the  harbor  "the  Captain  had  some 
rockets  let  off  which  greatly  excited  the  Indians, 
and  their  wild  cries  resounded  along  the  shores." 
The  Island  was  "a  scene  of  loveliness,  and  these 
wild  forms  adorned  it  as  looking  so  at  home  in  it." 
She  represents  it  as  a  "pleasing  sight,  after  the 
raw.  crude,  staring  assemblage  of  houses  every- 
where sure  to  be  met  in  this  country,  to  see  the 
old  French  town,  mellow  in  its  coloring,  and  with 
the  harmonious  effect  of  a  slow  growth  which 
assimilates  naturally  with  objects  around  it." 
Concerning  Arch  Rock,  she  says:  "The  arch  is 
perfect,  whether  you  look  up  through  it  from  the 
lake,  or  down  through  it  to  the  transparent 
waters."  She  both  ascended  and  descended  "the 
steep  and  crumbling  path,  and  rested  at  the  sum- 
mit beneath  the  trees,  and  at  the  foot  upon  the 
cool  mossy  stones  beside  the  lapsing  wave."  The 
woods  she  described  as  "very  full  in  foliage,  and 
in  August  showed  the  tender  green  and  pliant  life 
of  June  elsewhere."    She  gives  as  a  view  from  the 


bluff  on  the  harbor  side:  "I  never  wished  to  sec  a 
more  fascinating  picture.  It  was  an  hour  of  the 
deepest  serenity:  bright  blue  and  gold  with  rich 
shadows.  Every  moment  the  sunlight  fell  more 
mellow.  The  Indians  were  grouped  and  scattered 
among  the  lodges:  the  women  preparing  food  over 
the  many  small  fires:  the  children,  half  naked, 
wild  as  little  goblins,  were  playing  both  in  and 
out  of  the  water:  bark  canoes  upturned  upon  the 
beach,  and  others  coming,  their  square  sails  set 
and  with  almost  arrowy  speed."  And  a  familiar 
picture  is  this:  "Those  evenings  we  were  happy, 
looking  over  the  old-fashioned  garden,  over  the 
beach,  and  the  pretty  island  opposite,  beneath  the 
growing  moon." 

Captain  Marryatt,  first  an  officer  of  celebrity 
in  the  English  navy,  but  more  known  in  this 
country  as  a  novelist  largely  given  to  sea  talcs, 
was  here  in  the  summer  of  1837.  In  his  "Diary 
of  America"  he  writes  of  Mackinac:  "It  has  the 
appearance  of  a  fairy  island  floating  on  the  water, 
which  is  so  pure  and  transparent  that  you  may 
see  down  to  almost  any  depth,  and  the  air  above 
is  as  pure  as  the  water,  that  you  feel  invigorated 
as  you  breath  it.  The  first  reminiscence  brought 
to  mind  after  I  had  landed  was  the  description  by 
Walter  Scott  of  the  island  and  residence  of  Mag- 


nus Troil  and  his  daughters  Minna  and  Brenda, 
in  the  novel,  "The  Pirate."  The  appearance  of 
the  village  streets,  largely  given  to  sails,  cordage, 
nets,  fish  barrels  and  the  like,  still  further  suggested 
the  resemblance  to  his  mind,  and  he  says  he  might 
have  imagined  himself  "transferred  to  the  Shet- 
land Isle,  had  it  not  been  for  the  lodges  of  the 
Indians  on  the  beach,  and  the  Indians  themselves, 
either  running  about  or  lying  on  the  porches 
before  the  whisky  stores." 

Among  the  early  visitors  here  from  England 
there  was  also  Miss  Martineau,  a  lady  of  high 
rank  and  distinction  in  English  literature.  Miss 
Martineau  spent  two  years  in  this  country,  travel- 
ing extensively  through  the  States  and  writing  her 
impressions.  It  was  in  July,  1836,  that  she  vis- 
ited Mackinac.  She  came  by  way  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, from  Chicago,  traveling  in  a  slow-going  sail- 
vessel,  and  approaching  the  Island  in  the  evening 
towards  sun-setting  time.  And  here  is  the  way 
she  expresses  herself  on  first  viewing  it  from  the 
vessel:  "We  saw  a  white  speck  before  us:  it  was 
the  barracks  of  Mackinaw,  stretching  along  the 
side  of  the  green  hills,  and  clearly  visible  before 
the  town  came  in  view.  The  Island  looked  en- 
chanting as  we  approached,  as  I  think  it  always 
must,   though  we  had  the  advantage  of  seeing  it 


first  steeped  in  the  most  golden  sunshine  that  ever 
hallowed  lake  or  shore." 

The  day  of  her  arrival  was  the  4th  of  July, 
and,  "The  colors  were  up  on  all  the  little  vessels 
in  the  harbor.  The  national  flag  streamed  from 
the  garrison.  The  soldiers  thronged  the  walls  of 
the  barracks:  half -breed  boys  were  paddling  about 
in  their  canoes,  in  the  transparent  waters:  the  half 
French.  half-Indian  population  of  the  place  were 
all  abroad  in  their  best.  An  Indian  lodge  was  on 
the  shore,  and  a  picturesque  dark  group  stood  be- 
side it.  The  cows  were  coming  down  the  steep 
green  slope  to  the  milking.  Nothing  could  be  more 
bright  and  joyous." 

She  did  not  leave  the  vessel  that  evening,  but 
some  of  the  party  having  met  the  commandant  of 
the  fort,  an  engagement  was  made  for  an  early 
walk  in  the  morning.  So  they  were  up  and  ashore 
at  five  o'clock,  and  under  the  escort  of  the  officer 
they  took  in  the  beauties  of  the  hill  and  the 
woods.  And  thus  she  tells  of  it:  "No  words  can 
give  an  idea  of  the  charms  of  this  morning  walk. 
We  wound  about  in  a  vast  shrubbery,  with  ripe 
strawberries  under  foot,  wild  flowers  all  around, 
and  scattered  knolls  and  opening  vistas  tempting 
curiosity    in    every    direction."        But    especially 


charming  and  impressive,  she  thought,  was  the 
prospect  from  Fort  Holmes.  As  she  looked  out 
on  the  glassy  lake  and  the  green  tufted  islands, 
she  compares  it  to  what  Noah  might  have  seen 
the  first  bright  morning  after  the  deluge.  "Such 
a  cluster  of  little  paradises  rising  out  of  such  a 
congregation  of  waters.  Blue  waters  in  every  di- 
rection, wholly  unlike  any  aspect  of  the  sea,  cloud 
shadows  and  specks  of  white  vessels.  Bowery 
islands  rise  out  of  it,  bowery  promontories  stretch 
down  into  it:  while  at  one's  feet  lies  the  melting 
beauty  which  one  almost  fears  will  vanish  in  its 
softness  before  one's  eyes:  the  beauty  of  the  shad- 
owy dells  and  sunny  mounds,  with  browsing  cat- 
tle and  springing  fruit  and  flowers.  Thus,  would 
I  fain  think,  did  the  world  emerge  from  the 
flood." 

After  the  early  walk.  Miss  Martineau  and 
her  party  took  breakfast  with  the  curtcous  com- 
mandant at  one  of  the  old  stone  quarters  of  the 
fort,  and  sat  awhile  on  the  piazza  overlooking  the 
village  and  the  harbor.  In  response  to  her  in- 
quiries about  the  healthfulncss  and  the  climate, 
the  officer  humorously  replied  that  it  was  so 
healthy  people  had  to  get  ofi"  the  Island  to  die: 
and  as  to  the  climate,  they  had  nine  months 
winter  and  three  months  cool  weather. 


The  sailing  vessel  on  which  the  party  were 
passengers  was  bound  for  Detroit,  and  the  Captain 
had  already  overstayed  his  time.  So  they  had  to 
leave  that  same  day.  In  reference  to  her  departure 
she  writes:  "We  were  in  great  delight  at  having 
seen  Mackinac,  at  having  the  possession  of  its 
singular  imagery  for  life.  But  this  delight  was 
dashed  with  the  sorrow  of  leaving  it.  I  could 
not  have  believed  how  deeply  it  is  possible  to  re- 
gret a  place,  after  so  brief  an  acquaintance  with  it." 
And  here  is  Miss  Martineau's  final  tribute  of  ad- 
miration: "From  place  to  place  in  my  previous 
traveling.   I  have  been  told  of  the  charms  of  the 


lakes,  and  especially  of  the  Island  of  Mackinac. 
This  Island  is  chiefly  known  as  a  principal  station 
of  the  Northwestern  Fur  Company.  Others  know 
it  as  the  seat  of  an  Indian  Mission.  Others,  again, 
as  a  frontier  garrison.  It  is  known  to  me  as  the 
wildest  and  tenderest  piece  of  beauty  that  I  have 
yet  seen  on  God's  earth." 

Thus  spoke  our  visitors  of  long  ago.  And 
we  believe  that  you.  dear  reader,  whether  you  only 
remained  long  enough  to  take  a  "Carriage  drive 
around  the  Island"  or  made  a  more  prolonged 
stay,  will  join  us  in  saying  that  "Mackinac  is 
really  worth  seeing." 


'    MARQLliTTI     PARK 
i.a.,.,.,,..    .■■    ..M.    poini    from    Old    MicWioiC    in    1780.     , 
ntct  vt    l/bu-6I.    I'hc  fori   wit   abjndonrd   br    ihc  govrrnmr 
Dperinicndcni   ippoinifd   by   the    Michigan   State   Park   Board. 


Built    by    the    British    in    1780. 
protected    the   picket   walls   of   the   fort, 
the   hillsides   and    other   approaches. 


OLD    BLOCK    HOUSE 

These    block    houses    were    armed    with    iro 
on   guns   planted    at    convenient    pla^ 


ARCH    ROCK 
Thf     mo.I     fjmoui    of    njlurjl     carioiilitl    of    Maclinjc.     locji.d    on     lh(     tasurn     lidf     c-f     ibr 
Island.    Th<  lop  of  ihc  jrcfa   it    149    ftct  ibovc   lh<  lurfacc  of   ihc   water   of   Lake   Huron:    the   height 
from    ihr   base   of   bullrcsi   to   the    top   of    Ibe    rock    is    49    feet. 


Mi_>LK   Hi'USl;  AND  VILLAGE 


ASTOR  STREET,   SHOWING  OLD  BIDDLE   HOME   IN   THE   lOREGROUND 
Edward   Biddtc   wjs  one  of   the   most   prominrni   and    influential   citizens    in   his   day.    Mr. 
was    connected    with    the    John    Jacob    Attor    Fur    Company:    his    daughter.    Mrs.    Sara    Durfei 
January    17.     1923.    while    in    her    90th    year. 


ROAD  TO   BRITISH   LANP 
pomt 


jll  force  ot   United  Utiles  soldiers. 


OLD    BLOCK    HOUSE.    FORT    HOLMES 
Ertctsd    by    ihe    British   during    th«    war   of    1812.     Fori    Holmes    is    the   highest    point    on    the 
Island,   being   318    feet  above   the  lake   a.-.d    US    feet  above   Fort   Mackinac. 


DWIGHTWOOD  SPKI 
gushing    out    of    ihr    solid    ;    . 
jnopy 


MARQUKTTF.    PARK    AND    MONLl.MtNT 


..:ai^ 


i)  ISLAND  l.l> 

Mt.ii.    i.i     Mj.kinu      Sinn       ii.n.tjl    dirtclion    ii    fjM     .in  i     »cm        i  ...-    >i,,,yt    •■.     '.'..... 

licct   norlhwol:    ban    bijnc    iibnd    norlhcjtl:    MacLinjw    Lily,    loulh   on    ihc    norlhctn    thuic    ul    the 
Lower    Pcninsutj    and    St.    Ignjcc.    wcm.    on    the    southern    point    oi    the    L'ppct    Penmtub. 


^  •>■■ '>^^Z99hw^S 

4 

Mi^m 

it 

^^^^^^BtfB^^^^^Bflks^^ 

"^^^•%A/'"    ' 

r 

r 

>^^*Af^-    . 

k 

Mackinac  Chronological  Table 


1626      Frenchmen  on  Mackinjc  Island  before   1626.  1802 

1634      John    Nicolet.    first    white    man   passed    through   the 

Straits  of  Mackinac;  convoyed   to  Green  Bay.  1812 

1669      Father  Allouez.  S.  J  ,  in  the  Straits.  St.  Ignacc,  and 

Michilimackinac   Island,   bound  for  Green  Bay.  1813 

1669      Father  Jaques  Marquette.  S.  J.,  at  Michilimackinac. 
1671      Mission  at  St.  Ignace  de  Michilimackinac  founded  by        1814 

Marquette   under  direction   of   Dablon. 
1673      MichUimackinac  selected  by  the  French  for  a  fortifi-         1815 

cation. 
1681      M    de  la  Durantaye  commanded  Michilimackinac.  1815 

1694      M.  de  la  Mothe  Cadillac  commanded  Michilimackinac 

and   dependencies.  1815 

1701      Cadillac   left   Michilimackinac   to  found  Detroit   and 

Fort  Pontch-irtrain.  taking  many   Indians  with  him.        1817 
1701      The   Jesuits  burned   their  church   at   St.    Ignace  and        1819 

moved,   with  most  of  the  French  to  Quebec. 
1714      Fort   at    Michilimackinac     (Fort    de   Buade)     regarri-         1822 

soned :  M.  de  Louvigny  in  command. 
1763      Massacre  at  Michilimackinac    (now  Mackinaw  City)         1830 

June  4th.  1  842 

1763      Alexander  Hcnrv  escapes  death  in  massacre  owing  to        1873 

friendship   of  Ojibwav   Chief.   Wawatam. 
1780      July  15.  Major  Sinclair  transferred  part  of  his  troops        1882 

to  Michilimackinac    (Mackinac)    Island.  1895 

1783      Independence  of  United  Stales  of  America  acknowl- 
edged by  Great  Britain  and  Post  of  Mackinac  Island        1899 

became  a  part  of  the  Republic.  1909 

1796      First    United    States    troops    occupy    Fort    Mackinac 

under  command  of  Major  Henry   Burbeck.  1915 


Reverend  David  Bacon.  Presbyterian,  first  Protestant 
clergyman  sent  to  the  Island. 

July   17,  Lieutenant  Hanks  surrenders  Fort  Mackinac 
to  General  Hull  of  Great  Britain. 
Perry  Cannon,  said   to  have  been   used   in  Battle  of 
Lake  Erie. 

August    4ih,    Major    Holmes    killed    in    battle    near 
British  Landing. 

British  Troops  held   the  fort  and  Island   until  after 
the  close  of  the   1812-15  war. 

Colonel    Butler,    U.    S.    A.,    took    formal    possession 
12;M.  July   18.  of  the  fort  and  dependencies. 
Mackinac  and  Southwest  Fur  Companies  merged  into 
the  American   Fur  Company  by  John  Jacob  Astor. 
Incorporated  as  a   village. 

Walk-in-thc-Water,     first     steamboat     at     Mackinac 
Island. 

Dr.  \Vm.  Beaumont  makes  great  discovery  in  treating 
gun-shot   wound  in  stomach  of  Alexis  St.   Martin. 
Old   Mission   Church   buili   by   Presbyterian   Mission. 
Southern   families   began   making   the   Island  a   resort. 
House  of   "Anne"   Old   Indian  Agency  Building  de- 
stroyed by  fire  during  winter  of   1873-74. 
County   Seat  transferred   to  St.    Ignace. 
Ft.  Mackinac  abandoned  as  a  United  States  post  by 
formal  act  of  Congress. 
Incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  fourth  class. 
Bronze    Statue   erected    in    Marquette    Park,    Sept.    1, 
of  Pere  Jaques  Marquette. 
Life   Saving   Station  erected. 


